Fluid control system for washing machines



Feb. 25, 1964 J KQZEL ETAL 3,122,010

FLUID CONTROL SYSTEM F OR WASHING MACHINES Filed April 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P 1 Fi .2

INVENTORS James A. Kozel Charles E. Lyall M TTORNEY 1964 J. A. KOZEL ETAL,

FLUID CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 10, 1958 INVENTOR James A. Kozel Charles E. Lgall 16 5- A TORNEY w IE United States Patent 3,122,010 FLUID QONTRQL SYSTEM FOR WASHING NIACHINES James A. Kozel, Mount Prospect, and Charles E. Lyall,

Northbrook, llL, assignors, by mesne assignments, to

The Horton Company, Pittsburgh, Pin, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 727,686 2 Qlairns. (til. 6823) This invention is an improved washing machine control device whereby a single selector member which can be manually set to any of various positions, determines the temperature of the wash water and at the same time, controls the speed of agitation and preferably also the spin speed. The term spin speed refers to the speed at which the inner container or tub is revolved in spin drying the clothes. I

While the invention could be employed in conjunction with any manually adjustable mixing valve and with any variable speed drive, it is particularly adapted for use in conjunction with the variable automatic mixing valve disclosed in a co-pending application, Serial No. 729,418 (now U.S. Patent No. 2,977,062), and in a machine having a two-speed motor drive.

An object of the invention is to insure that when the temperature selector is set to obtain temperate or relatively cool water for washing the more delicate fabrics, the agitator speed and/or the spin speed will be automatically reduced to prevent mechanical damage to such delicate fabrics.

Another object is to permit a washing machine to operate in the desired manner through the setting of a single simple device such as a control knob fitted with a dial indicator.

A further object is to provide such a control device which will permit a considerable variation in the selection of the wash water temperature without varying the agitator or spin speeds.

A further detailed novel feature of the invention is the provision of simple and economical cam means on the control shaft for actuating the switches to vary the motor speed in predetermined relation to the temperature setting of the shaft.

'In the accompanying drawings, we have shown for purpose of illustration, one embodiment which our invention may assume in practice.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a valve assembly having our improved control device attached thereto;

PEG. 2 is a right-hand end view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a washing machine with which our improved control device may be associated;

PEG. 4 is a vertical cross section through the mixing valve assembly in line with the control shaft;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the control knob, switch operating cams and wiring diagram;

FIG. 6 is a program chart indicating the example of what may be accomplished with our improved control device;

FIG. 7 is a developed view of the switch operating cams; and

FIG. 8 is an end view of the cams ready for assembly with the control shaft.

A typical washing machine with which our invention may be employed, as indicated in FIG. 3, has a casing ltl surrounding a rotatable tub 11. An agitator 12 inslde the tub 11 is operated by a vertical shaft 13 connected through suitable linkage 14, gear box 15, clutch 16 and belt 17, with the motor M. The tub- 11 may be keyed to a hollow shaft 13 and actuated through a suitable gearing schematically indicated at 19, shaft 20 and clutch 21 3,122,010 Patented Feb. 25, 1964 connected to the motor M. The clutches are operated by suitable solenoids under the control of a timer T as is well understood in the art.

The valve assembly with which we have shown our control device associated includes a valve body 22 having cold and hot water inlets 23 and 24 respectively and an outlet connection 25. A solenoid valve 26 may control the flow of cold water directly through a by-pass passage to the outlet and the solenoid valve 27 controls the flow of mixed water from the proportioning and metering device 28 to the outlet passage 29 in the valve body. The solenoid valves 26 and 27 are of usual construction and the particular valve assembly shown is described and claimed in the co-pending application above referred to and need not be described here in detail.

It is sufiicient to note that the metering device is a sleeve 28 mounted to move endwise in a chamber 30, to the inner side of which hot water is supplied and the outer side of which cold water is supplied through suitable passages. A control shaft 31 has an inner threaded end 32 threaded into a central boss on the valve sleeve 28. These parts are all held in place by plates 33 and 34. The shaft 31 is prevented from endwise movement by a collar 35 and the sleeve 28 is prevented from rotary movement by a lug 36 so that rotary movement of shaft 31 will move the sleeve endwise so as to increase the flow of hot water while decreasing the flow of cold water when the shaft is turned in one direction and vice versa when the shaft is turned in the other direction.

The control shaft '31 extends a substantial distance from the valve body 22 to a control knob 37 mounted at an accessible place on the machine. The control knob 37 may carry a pointer 38, and the position of the shaft 31 and therefore the temperature of the water, is indicated by suitable indicia on a plate 39. The markings on the plate 39 indicate positions 1 to 6 at the operating range of the shaft. It will be understood that the pitch of the threads on the shaft 31 and the sleeve 28 are sufiicient to cause the required movement of the sleeve when the shaft is turned through this range herein indicated as an angle of about 270.

A typical example of the results which may be accomplished with our control device is indicated in FIG. 6. With the control knob 37 set in position #1, the sleeve 28 will be furthest to the left as seen in FIG. 4 and hot water will be supplied for a washing cycle. For a washing operation requiring hot water or medium hot water as will be supplied at position #2, it is desirable that both the agitation speed and the spin speed be fast. At position #3 with temperate hot water, the agitation speed may be fast while the spin speed may be slow. Then for washing operations requiring colder water as indicated in positions #4, 5 and 6, the agitation speed should be slow and the spin speed may be slow or fast as desired.

A pair of cam-controlled two-way switches 41 and 42, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 5, are each capable of controlling the speed of motor M at times when they are functioning as power connections to the motor under the control of timer T. With this arrangement, switch 41 controls the motor during the agitation cycle and switch 42 controls the motor during the spin cycle.

Position #4 is selected as typical for purpose of illustration. In this position, cam 43 is located so that the switch operating lever 44 is at the low point of the cam allowing closing of the upper contacts of switch 41 making circuit through the line 45 to the slow speed coil of the motor so that during the agitation cycle, the motor will operate at the lower of its two speeds. At positions 1, 2 and 3, the cam 43 will have its high portion bearing on the switch lever 44 and the lower contacts of 3 switch 41 will close making circuit through line 45 to the high speed coil of the motor resulting in the higher of the two agitator speeds.

During the spin cycle, the clutch 16 will be disengaged and the clutch 21 engaged. A second cam 47 controls the switch 42 so that a different set of speed conditions may be obtained during the spin cycle. At position #4 shown in FIG. 5, the program calls for a slow spin speed, and the cam 47 is designed so that the switch lever 48 is then riding on the high point of the cam, closing the lower contacts of the switch 42 which makes circuit through line 49 from the timer to the motor.

At positions where fast spin speed is desired, herein indicated as positions #1, 2, and 6, the switch lever 48 will ride on the lower part of the cam 47 causing closing of the upper contacts of switch 42 which makes circuit from the timer through lines 50 and 51 to the high speed coil of the motor.

It will be understood that the timer is designed so as to make effective only one or the other of the switches 41 and 42 at any given time. It will thus be seen that the earns 43 and 47 may be designed to obtain any desired program with respect to agitation and spin speeds in predetermined relation to the temperature of the water selected for any given washing cycle.

As explained in the above-mentioned copending application, the rinse water temperature for any given program may be either cold water when only solenoid 26 is energized, the same as the wash water temperature when only solenoid 27 is energized, or a mixture of the two when both solenoids are energized.

The switch operating cams, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, are made economically from a single piece of flat stock in which the cams are connected together by a strip section 52 whose length corresponds to the desired spacing of the cams. After the piece shown in FIG. 7 is stamped out, it is bent into the form shown in FIG. 8 with the cam portions being somewhat out of parallel. The purpose of this is again, economy of manufacture because in assembling the cams on the shaft 31, it is merely necessary to spring the cam piece so that the cams are parallel and slip them over the shaft whereupon when released, the spring action will hold the cams firmly in position. The cams are effectively keyed to the shaft L1 by flat portions 53 fitting against a complementary flat surface 54 on the shaft 31 (see FIG. 4).

The switches 41 and 42 themselves are attached to a cover plate 55 on the front of valve body 22. The switch terminals are indicated at 56 and the pins 57 protruding from the switches 41 and 42 engage directly against one or the other of the cams 43 and 47 and of course, the pins 57 operate the switch levers 44 and 48 of FIG. 5.

While we have shown for purpose of illustration, one embodiment which our invention may assume in practice, various modifications and other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. In a washing machine having an agitator, a rotatable tub and a two-speed motor for operating the agitator and spinning the tub, a valve assembly for controlling the supply of hot and cold water to the tub including a valve body, a proportioning or metering device in said body for adjusting the temperature of the water by varying the proportions of hot and cold water flowing through the valve, a control shaft connected to said device projecting a substantial distance from the valve body and an operating knob on the end of said shaft, a pair of two-way switches connected to said motor, one for selecting one of the two motor speeds while the agitator is operating and the other for selecting one of the two motor speeds while the tub is spinning, and cam means on said shaft for operating said switches in predetermined relation to the temperature setting of said shaft.

2. In a washing machine having the combination of features set forth in claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises two spaced apart plate cams integrally connected on one side of the shaft and having non-rotative connection with said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,425,788 Edwards Aug. 19, 1947 2,447,848 Edwards Aug. 24, 1948 2,548,651 Chace et al Aug. 10, 1951 2,841,003 Coulee July 1, 1958 

1. IN A WASHING MACHINE HAVING AN AGITATOR, A ROTATABLE TUB AND A TWO-SPEED MOTOR FOR OPERATING THE AGITATOR AND SPINNING THE TUB, A VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF HOT AND COLD WATER TO THE TUB INCLUDING A VALVE BODY, A PROPORTIONING OR METERING DEVICE IN SAID BODY FOR ADJUSTING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER BY VARYING THE PROPORTIONS OF HOT AND COLD WATER FLOWING THROUGH THE VALVE, A CONTROL SHAFT CONNECTED TO SAID DEVICE PROJECTING A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FROM THE VALVE BODY AND AN OPERATING KNOB ON THE END OF SAID SHAFT, A PAIR OF TWO-WAY SWITCHES CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR, ONE FOR SELECTING ONE OF THE TWO MOTOR SPEEDS WHILE THE AGITATOR IS OPERATING AND THE OTHER FOR SELECTING ONE OF THE TWO MOTOR SPEEDS WHILE THE TUB IS SPINNING, AND CAM MEANS ON SAID SHAFT FOR OPERATING SAID SWITCHES IN PREDETERMINED RELATION TO THE TEMPERATURE SETTING OF SAID SHAFT. 